Christian Thought Review - (Issue No. 4, Volume 2006)

Author: Xu Zhiwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Journal of Contemporary Theology is a series edited and sponsored by the China Studies Department of Veritas Academy, aiming to promote the study of Christian philosophy among Chinese scholars both in China and abroad, and to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in Christian thought research both domestically and internationally. This book is the 4th issue, including 6 sections: "New Interpretations of Classics," "Studies on the Two Great Fathers," "Hermeneutics," "Modern Theology and Religious Philosophy," "Book Reviews," and "Reflections," with a total of 23 articles. The articles in the book are well-researched, innovative in perspective, insightful in analysis, and profound in thought, making it of high academic value and worth reading! However, when the author mentions "truth," he repeatedly pairs it with "grace" twice. This treatment indicates that the author intends to discuss the issue of truth from the perspective of grace. We can call it the "Theory of Grace and Truth." In summary, the "Theory of Grace and Truth" in The Gospel of John has the following characteristics:
(1) Truth is always revealed. According to skepticism, humans cannot attain truth through their own efforts; if they still pursue truth, the only logical possibility is that truth reveals itself to them. In the contrast between darkness and light, the author pushes the idea that humans cannot pursue truth to an extreme and points out this existential fact: in their pursuit of what they believe to be "truth," humans are actually rejecting truth. If humans reject truth, then logically, the only way to obtain truth is for truth to reveal itself to them. We note that this path to understanding truth has similarities with the "theory of revelation" in the Jewish prophetic tradition, a point that Greek philosophy lacks. From this perspective, The Gospel of John responds to the Greek skepticism dilemma from the perspective of the Jewish prophetic tradition.
(2) Truth is always in grace. We know that the Jewish prophetic tradition also speaks of divine revelation. In this tradition, God gives the law to humans through prophets, and humans merely need to obey the law to receive God's blessings, because the law is rooted in God's will, guiding people toward God. However, the emphasis on the law led people to grant the law an equal status with God. This result caused the law to lose its truthfulness. It is not difficult to understand that once the law attains its ultimate status, it no longer guides law-abiders toward God but confines them within the bounds of the law. Legalism cannot withstand the attack of Greek skepticism: different traditions have different laws, so why is your law superior to others? The author has a deep understanding of how the Jewish prophetic tradition slides into legalism among the Pharisees, and thus deliberately distinguishes between "what we say" and "what the Pharisees say," believing that truth cannot exist without grace and can only come from Jesus. In other words, truth is always given to people in grace. Therefore,
(3) Humans can only receive truth but cannot possess it. This conclusion is repeatedly emphasized in The Gospel of John. For example, when the disciple Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus replies that he will receive the Father's reward simply by bearing Jesus' name. [31] The reasoning is straightforward: the Father is revealed only by the unique mediator, so only through Jesus can one receive the truth of the Father. Philip's request is to possess truth. When we directly see the Father, we no longer need Jesus to know the Father. However, Jesus asks his disciples to receive the Father's grace as they follow him.